Flexible button



Oct. 17, 1939. F. G. PURINTON FLEXIBLE BUTTON Filed June 10, 1937Patented Oct. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLEXIBLE BUTTONApplication June 10, 1937, Serial No.147,582

8 Claims.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in tack buttons, andmore particularly to a tack button of the flexible type.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, a flexible type button isone wherein the button head may tilt or rock with relation to itsfastening means, so that it may be more easily inserted in thebuttonhole or removed therefrom.

As is also well known to those skilled in the art, tack buttons of boththe rigid and flexible type are generally attached to a garment in anattaching machine, that is, the button heads are placed in one hopperand the tacks in another and these two parts fed to the table of themachine, where the tack is forced up through the garment into the buttonhead and the prong of the tack curled or deformed to thus hold thebutton to the garment.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an entirelydifferent form of button, that is, wherein the tack is carried in thebutton head and the prong of the tack will be deformed not within thebutton head, as is the usual case, but on the outside of a washer whereit may be easily inspected.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a flexible typebutton wherein the usual vise or anchor and anvil are unnecessary.

In buttons of the tack type, the cap is generally of a relatively thinmaterial and often provided with a trade-mark or insignia thereon andmeans has to be provided for curling the tack within the button head andpreventing it from piercing the said cap.

Still another object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a buttoncomprising the back or body, an eyelet, a tack within the body andprotruding through the eyelet, and finally a washer through which theprong of the tack'is Y forced and headed to thus securely hold thebutton back or botton head to the material to which it is attached.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a flexible typebutton including the body, in which is placed the barrel of an eyeletand through which barrel there is positioned the prong of a tack, thehead of the tack being situated within the button back and enclosed bythe cap of the button head.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a button headcarrying its own fastening means, to wit, the tack, which, in turn,extends into an eyelet, the prong of the tack being in a plane Withinthe flange of the eyelet, so that the 1 buttons, when packaged. and.shipped or when put in a button attaching machine, cannot be scratchedby the prongs of any of the other tacks within the button heads.

Still another object of the invention is to produce a button that may bemanufactured at a relatively low'cost, due to the fact that there areless number of parts to be manufactured and assembled.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a button, whereinthe upsetting or deforming of the point of the tack is done directly outin the open where it can be inspected and the adequacy of the attachingreadily determined.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a flexible typebutton carrying its own tack, so that the feeding of the tacks into theattaching machine is dispensed with, it being only necessary to feed thebutton heads and a small washer through which the point of the tack willbe protruded and deformed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a button of theflexible type, wherein the button head may rock and tilt with respect toits eyelet, which eyelet will be rigidly secured to the cloth or garmentby the tack, which, in turn, is carried by the button head. 'andwillprotrude through the washer at the rear of the cloth.

With these and other objects in view,the invention consists in certainnew and novel features and combination of parts, as will be hereinaftermore fully explained and pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawing showing a preferred embodiment of myinvention,

Fig. 1 is an enlarged sectional View of the improved flexible type tackbutton showing the tack in its normal position before the button isattached; I

Fig. 2 is a similar view but showing the prong of the tack as havingbeen forced through the garment and deformed on the outside of thewasher;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the eyelet forming part of the button back;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the washer.

Referring now more particularly to the several views, and for the momentto Fig. 1, there is shown my improved button consisting of the body orshell I, which extends downwardly, as at 2, to form the hub. There mayalso be seen the bottom wall 3 of the hub, which is perforatedcentrally, as at 4, the walls about the perforation extending slightlyupwardly, as at 5. The shell I is flanged outwardly, as at 6, and overthe shell is the cap 7 with its downwardly extending flange 1 which isrimmed about the aforementioned flange 6 to thus hold the cap tightly inplace.

The cap 1, however, is not positioned until after the tack 8 is placedwithin the body, as will be shortly mentioned.

Extending within the opening 4 there may be seen, in Fig. 1, the upperend of the barrel 9, which is a part of the eyelet II). This eyeletflares outwardly, as at H, and is provided with the peripheral flangel2, as may be seen in Fig. 3. The outside diameter of the upper end ofthe barrel 9 is approximately the same diameter as the diameter of theopening 4 in the hub of the button, so that this eyelet, under pressure,may have its barrel jammed or fitted within the said opening 4, as maybe readily seen in Fig. 1. After the eyelet is positioned and before thecap 7 is rimmed in place, a tack 8 has its prong fitted within thebarrel 9 of the eyelet I0. It will also be noticed that the bore of thebarrel 9 is slightly tapered, corresponding to the taper of the prong 8of the tack 8, said tack 8 having the head 8 positioned against theunder surface of the cap 1. By having the tack 8 enclosed withinthe'button head, it is unnecessary to cap the tack head, as is alwaysdone in the ordinary style of tack buttons, and this feature cheapensthe cost of producing these tacks. 7

It is also'to be noted that the outer end of the prong 8 is in a planewithin'the flange 12 of the eyelet Ill, so that when these button headsare packaged for distribution or when placed in 'the hoppersof buttonattaching machines, there is no possibility of the points of the tacksmarring or scratching adjacent buttons.

I have not shown any raised insignia on the cap, but it will beunderstood that fanciful designs, trade-marks, or words are generallyimpressed on these button caps.

To complete the button, there is shown in Fig. 4 the washer IS with itsrim l4 and upwardly extending hub IS, the hub being perforated, as atIS. The outer rim l4 may extend slightly upwardly, as at IT, to assistin pinching the cloth l8 with respect to the flange l2 of the eyeletIll.

After the barrel of the eyelet has been placed in the'button body andthe tack also positioned as shown in Fig. 1, the cap I will be rimmed inplace and the button is now ready for shipment. In' the attachingoperation, the heretofore-mentioned washer I3 will be used.

In Fig. 2, the button is shown as having been attached, and, asmentioned before, this is done in a button attaching machine (not shown)provided with a plunger of about the same diameter as the cap of thebutton. The pressure of attaching will be carried through the cap to thehead a of the tack, then through the tack to its point, which is headedover with a heading pin from below to cause the point to be deformed, asat [9, within the hub of the washer l3.

It will also be noticed in Figure 2 that the button head I is nowlowered on the barrel of the eyelet and the prong 8 of the tack hasflared the upper end of the barrel 9 within the opening 4, so that itwill be impossible for the barrel of the eyelet to pull through theopening 4. Further, it will be seen that the eyelet, tack, and washerform a rigid unit with respect to the cloth I8, but the button head Imay rock or tilt with respect to the barrel 9 of the eyelet NJ, thusproviding the flexibility desired.

Again, it will be seen that by providing a washer with a depressed hub,the deformed prong of the tack will be up within the hub rather thanprotrude beyond the inner surface of the cloth, thus preventing thedeformed prong from coming in contact with anything.

After the prong of the tack is once forced through the material I8 anddeformed, there is no possibility of the button becoming loosened fromthe garment.

As heretofore mentioned, the button has many advantages over the otherforms of buttons, among them being the simplicity and the less number ofparts. Also, a tack that is not capped may be utilized, and, finally,the deformed end of the tack may be readily inspected to see that theattaching operation has been properly performed.

It will be understood that I do not wish in any way to be limited to thespecific type of washer 0r eyelet shown, and the foregoing descriptionis to be considered as a disclosure onlyof preferred types.

Having'thus described my invention, what I claim asnew and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: p

1. A flexible type button including a button back, an eyelet slidablymounted within said button back, a tack carried'in the button back andhaving its prong normally extending downwardly within the eyelet andterminating short of the lowermost plane of the eyelet, a cap over thebutton back and adjacent the'head of the tack, and said tack adapted tobe forced beyond the lowermost plane of the eyelet and have its prongdeformed when the button is attached.

2. A flexible type button including a button back, an eyelet having abarrel slidably mounted within said button back, a tack having its prongextending downwardly through the barrel of said eyelet and normallyterminating short of the lowermost plane of the eyelet, said tackadapted to be forced more deeply in its attaching operation into saidbarrel to thereby spread the open end of the barrel to thus lock theeyelet with respect to the button'back, and the end of the tack alsoadapted to be deformed during the button attaching operation.

3. A flexible type button including a button back. an eyelet having abarrel expanded within the button back, a tack carried by the buttonback the prong of which extends down through said eyelet and normallyterminating short of the lowermost plane of the eyelet, a washer adaptedto extend within the eyelet, and the point of the prong of the tackadapted to be deformed on the outer surface of said washer.

4. A flexible type button" including a button back, an eyelet having abarrel slidably mounted within said button back, a tack carried in thebutton back, the prong of the tack extending through said eyelet andnormally terminating short of the lowermost plane of the eyelet, a capabout the button back and adjacent the head of the tack, a perforatedwasher adapted to extend within the eyelet, the prong of the tackadapted to pass through the perforation in said washer and be deformedin an attaching operation.

5. The combination of a button back, an eyelet, a tack mounted in thebutton back and extending through said eyelet and terminating short ofthe bottom'edge of the eyelet, a washer adapted to extend partly withinthe eyelet, and the prong of the tack adapted to extend through saidwasher and be deformed against said washer in a button attachingoperation.

.6. A flexible type. button comprising an eyelet having a barrel, abutton head rockably mounted on the barrel of said eyelet, fasteningmeans movably mounted in the eyelet and terminating within the eyelet,and a separate perforated plate cooperating within the eyelet throughwhich the point of the fastener is adapted to extend and be deformed inan attaching operation.

'7. A flexible button including an eyelet having an outwardly taperingbarrel, a button back into which said barrel extends, means within thebutton back and extending through said eyelet and terminating within theeyelet for spreading the upper end of said barrel and. for attaching thebutton to a garment.

8. A flexible button including an eyelet having a barrel, a button back,said eyelet loosely fitting within said button back, fastening means forthe button carried in said eyelet and extending wholly within theeyelet, and said fastening means adapted to spread the barrel and securethe button to a garment.

FORREST G. PURINTON.

